Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist windsurfer Emma Wilson came within an inch of a spot on the iQFOiL world championship podium, eventually having to settle for fourth.

Wilson revealed after the regatta that she had been competing with a broken toe after suffering an injury in training just two weeks prior to the start.

A herculean effort from the 23-year-old saw her go into the medal race series in second overall, tied on points with first-placed Marta Maggetti.

But the finals series in the iQFOiL class is a high-risk affair, whereby only the top competitor goes through to the last round and the rest of the top ten fight it out for the remaining two places alongside them.

With the week’s points effectively meaningless once the finals series begins, Wilson was forced to fight it out for a shot at the world title.

A third place in the semi-final wasn’t enough to progress – so fourth overall it was.

“It was a big week with many conditions, and I went in to the medal race in second but unfortunately couldn’t keep that colour,” said Wilson, from Christchurch in Dorset, who took silver at the European Championships in May.

“I’m pretty gutted but also pretty proud after breaking my big toe just two weeks before the event during a training session. Now it’s time to rest and heal the toe. I’m motivated for more next season.”

The British Sailing Team’s Islay Watson just missed out on a spot in the medal races in 11th overall, while in the men’s fleet Sam Sills was the top Brit in 16th overall.

Full results from the iQFOiL World Championships can be found here.

Young windsurfer Finn Hawkins took bronze at the iQFOiL International Games in Lanzarote which saw six Brits featuring across the top tens.

Hawkins was one of four British sailors in the men’s top order while there were two in the women’s, including Tokyo 2020 medallist Emma Wilson who narrowly missed out on another international medal.

In the first major event of the year for the Olympic classes, the competitors contended with different formats from the traditional RS:X as they took on course racing, slalom and the gruelling marathon disciplines.

With the squads still getting used to new equipment and formats, and the addition of new coach Nick Dempsey, the International Games was seen as an event that could help shape the year ahead for the British Sailing Team.

Hawkins’ medal was a bonus for the team that ultimately showed they have great strength in depth going forward. His bronze in the overall fleet was also enough to secure the U21 title.

Hawkins, 19, from St Austell, Cornwall, said: “I had so much fun racing in the iQFOiL International Games. Throughout the week we had a range of conditions that made for some difficult and close racing, with the most extreme conditions being on the medal race day where we had huge waves and lots of wind.

“The medal races were super intense as you could crash at any moment on the course. I managed to make it all the way to finals which felt amazing and I am so happy with the result of third overall and first U21.”

Other British interest in the top ten was Matt Barton who finished sixth, Andy Brown who finished eighth and Sam Sills who completed the medal race list in tenth. Tokyo 2020 windsurfer Tom Squires finished in 22nd in the 70-boat fleet.

Brown, 22, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: “The event went alright in the end. It was a bit of a training regatta for us but still a very strong field. Great to finish in the top ten. It was an elimination format and I got pretty close to qualifying for the semis, but it is still a bit new and we are still getting used to it so it was good to build up those experiences.

“Historically I’ve struggled at the start of the year, so it was nice on a personal level to start off on a good one and show some real progress.”

Emma Wilson was the top British female in fifth in what was her first international iQFOiL event. Wilson had a string of top two finishes including an impressive two wins from two in the marathon format.

The Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist said: “I’m pretty happy with how it went. I had good speed in most conditions and had a lot of fun doing the different formats. We did slalom, a marathon and course racing on one day which was pretty wacky but a lot of fun.

“The final day I had a bit of a nightmare as it was basically where you finish in the final race is where you finish overall so I finished in fifth. The conditions were extreme, and I’ve never sailed in those conditions on the foil. But now I know what to work on. I’m excited to get back to it and see how much I can improve before Palma.”

Scotland’s Islay Watson once again sailed to a top ten finish reaching the medal race in the 31-boat fleet.

Other British interest saw Alice Read in 14th, Alysia Gibson in 16th, Jennie Roberts in 23rd and Emily Hall returning to action in 29th.

Full results here

Day three was the first full day of racing for both the men’s and women’s fleets at the iQFOiL European Championship (22-28 October 2021) sailed on the Paris 2024 Olympic waters in Marseille, France.

The Men completed four slalom races, women completed six.

There was one solitary women’s race on day 2. No racing at all on day 1.

6-7 knots NW wind gusting 10 knots which dropped and swung more westerly, up to 10 knots gusting 12 as the sun went down.

A string of third places and a first put Islay Watson third in the women’s fleet of 68 sailors.

U21 World Champion Finn Hawkins leads men’s British contingent in seventh overall and first U21 in the 141 strong fleet.

Two race wins helps Matt Barton to 12th. Both Henry Bloodworth (20th) and James Hatcher (24th) claim maiden international race wins.

Andy Brown in 31st, Tokyo 2020 windsurfer Tom Squires, sits 48th, and Sam Sills is 51st.

Saskia Sills notched two race wins and sits in 16th, with Alice Read closely behind in 19th.

Alysia Gibson is 30th, Jennie Roberts sits 36th and Jenna Gibson 47th.

Another sunny day is expected tomorrow with a wind range of 10-14 knots with the potential for a long day of racing for the competitors.

You can find the full results here.

The first-ever World Championship of the official sailboard for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has closed its curtains last Sunday in Engadin, racing took place on the idyllic Silvaplana lake, near Sankt Moritz. The French and British Teams have been battling the podium positions for the whole week showing their strength in all different conditions and disciplines.

It was Helene Noesmoen (FRA) who managed to come on top and become the first-ever and 2021 iQFOiL Women World Champion. Finishing the podium are Islay Watson (GBR) in second place and Saskia Sills (GBR) in third, the British Sailing team really showed its strength this week having multiple sailors in the top 10.

In the Men’s fleet, the Dutch team joined the Brits and French in the battle for the whole week as well. Nico Goyard (FRA) has been leading in the development of foil racing and shows that he is the best even in a one-design class by winning the first 2021 iQFOiL World Championship. His achievement wasn’t a surprise as he was one of the favourites for this event, after winning the iQFOiL International Games on Lake Garda in May.

French Sailors Helene Noesmoen & Nicolas Goyard

Finishing the podium are Matthew Barton (GBR) in second and dutchman Luuc Van-Opzeeland in third place.

On the U21 women division the Israeli Team showed great form taking first and third place, Shachar Reshef (ISR) becomes the first-ever U21 World Champion. Second place went to Helle Oppedal NOR) and third place to Sharon Kantor (ISR).

On the U21 men division, Finn Hawkins (GBR) becomes the first-ever U21 World Champion finishing on an outstanding eighth place overall. Max Castelein (NED) took second and Louis Pignolet (FRA) third, finishing 16th and 21st on the overall.

Next event on the iQFOiL calendar, is the European Championship in Marseille – the Olympic Sailing venue for Paris 2024 – from October 22nd to 28th. But before that, other events will keep the athletes busy, like the Asian and Nordic Championships, respectively in China and Denmark, Kieler Woche in Germany and the Princesa Sofia Trophy, in Mallorca, a must-go-regatta for Olympic sailors.

After a successful 2020 event in late October last year, a fleet of 38 women and 69 men for a total of 107 windsurfers gathered on Lake Garda for the 2021 iQFOiL International Games hosted by Univela Sailing in Campione del Garda. 20 nations are represented here despite the still standing international travel restrictions.

This new one-design windsurfing class will be raced at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Racing on Day One started around noon as the typical local thermic breeze from the South filled in to reach about 12-15 knots. The first to hit the water were the men with three flawless slalom races, followed by the women who had to face a major wind drop and could only finish two races.

The provisional ranking at the end of Day One is a French affair, they occupy all top three spots in the Men. Nicholas Goyard won all of three matches, followed by Clement Burgeois and Adrien Mestre. The defending champion Sebastian Koerdel (GER) closed the day in the fifth position with a win in the last race and a ‘dive’ in the first one.

“We had some strong wind slalom races today, and I have to admit I was a bit rusty, and in the first race I fell into the water and had to swim a bit, but then the next two races were better with a 5 and 1, so overall not a dominant performance but I am getting there. The last race was a win and I plan on continuing like that” said the German 2020 iQFOiL International Games winner, Sebastian Koerdel.

Two French sailers within the best three also in the Women fleet, outstripped by one of the only two female British boarders here, Islay Watson. Delphine Cousin capped the day in second place and fellow countrywoman Lucie Belbeoch in third.

Among the athletes coming from far away Sarah Quita Offringa, from Aruba, today tasted the still winterish cold water and cool breeze.. “It was the first day of the event and we had two good windy slaloms, I thought it was cool to start in the line with 20 women and it was exhilarating, I didn’t do too great but it was definitely a good learning experience. One of the biggest challenges was the temperature for me, I’m from the Caribbean and in Aruba when the sun is shining is 30 degrees, and I went out at first in my sleeveless wetsuit, then went back inside and wore the thick one, but no more races for the day.”

Tomorrow’s conditions won’t be as sunny with potential rain in the afternoon, and the Race Committee opted for a morning start, with the ladies going out first at 10 am and the boys following them at 10,30.

The iQFOiL youth windfoiling class has become a British Youth Sailing Recognised Class in recognition of the exciting new discipline's inclusion at the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

After windfoiling was chosen to replace the RS:X windsurfer for the two Olympic cycles following Tokyo 2020, the iQFOiL class was named as the equipment of choice.

After careful consideration, British Youth Sailing has chosen to adopt the iQFOiL youth class as a Recognised Class, replacing the RS:X.

A comprehensive training programme is already underway in conjunction with the UK iQFOiL class to teach young sailors the art of foiling while developing their racing skills.

The International iQFOiL Youth Class plans to stage has its inaugural world championship in Lake Garda, Italy, at the end of July 2021.

Windfoiling will also feature at the RYA Youth National Championships at Plymouth Youth Sailing from August 13 to 15.

To learn more about the iQFOiL, click here to go to the UK class association page.